Yay, I just got myself a golden retriever! I’m so excited! But, wait. What can I feed my dog? Should I prepare home-cooked meals for him? Do golden retrievers need grain in their diet? Buy an all-breed dog food? Buy specific-breed dog food? Too many questions that boil down to one BIG question. What would be the best dog food for golden retrievers?
AT A GLANCE (SEE ON AMAZON):
- Our Top Pick: Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult Dog Food
- Runner Up: Diamond Naturals Dry Food for Adult Dog
- Also Great: Amazon Brand - Wag Dry Dog Food
Golden Retrievers Dog Breed
Golden Retrievers is a popular dog breed known for its gorgeous, dense, and lustrous coat from which its name was derived. They have medium-large built and are extremely active. Thus, this dog breed is one of America’s most popular dog breeds.
They belong to sporting dog breeds and require regular exercise. They are extremely outgoing and energetic and good family dogs.
Golden retrievers are also intelligent, trustworthy, and easily trainable. As such, they are also one of the most considered breeds trained as service dog.
What Should A Golden Retriever Eat?
There are some things we should take note of when looking for the best dog food for our golden retrievers. Golden retrievers, being active, need a lot of protein for muscle build-up. Protein-rich dog foods are important for our dogs. Thus, it is best to look for dog foods with meat such as lamb, chicken, turkey, or fish, as the first ingredient.
Dog foods rich in carbohydrates are also beneficial for our goldens to sustain their energy. However, some golden retrievers are prone to allergies to corn or soy. Thus, dog foods containing soy or corn may not be good for them. Alternatively, you may consider those with whole rice or brown rice in the ingredients.
Also, taurine is said to be essential for proper cardiovascular function. Lack of taurine can cause heart failure in our dogs. Therefore, look for dog food that includes taurine among its ingredients.
Choose dog foods containing no poultry or animal by-products as they are not the healthiest ingredients for our dogs. If it is not good for humans, most probably, it is not good for dogs too.
Also, avoid foods with sugars, artificial colors, and flavors. Most dog treat products contain these ingredients. Hence, it is best to limit giving these treats to our golden retrievers.
Of course, asking your vet about the best dog food for our golden retrievers is always a good move to ensure the best for our dogs.
The Best Dog Food For Golden Retrievers
The best dog food for Golden Retrievers should have higher protein content and low-to-moderate fat and calorie content.
Here are some dog foods we picked that works perfectly for your goldens:
This Royal Canin Golden Retriever Adult Breed Specific Dog Food is great for our goldens aging 15 months and older.
It is formulated with the necessary nutrients like taurine, EPA, DHA, and other vitamins and minerals. It has the correct balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat content to keep our dog’s skin, coat, heart, and immune system healthy and promotes muscular development and proper weight management too.
This dog food comes in special kibbles to encourage chewing. This is one dog food your golden would surely love!
Diamond Naturals Real Meat Recipe Premium Dry Dog Food contains real beef. Besides the rich protein content, it has superior nutrition too with the added Vitamin E, selenium, taurine, and Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
Vegetables and fruits in this formula give a balanced nutritional value for golden retrievers. These promote healthy skin and coat, boost their immune system, and help our goldens avoid heart diseases.
It does not contain corn or soy which, as mentioned above, may cause allergic reactions to our dogs.
The Amazon Brand - Wag Dry Dog Food contains real beef as the #1 ingredient and has 35% protein content which promotes muscular development.
Vegetables, fruits, and other superfoods as well as vitamins and minerals in this formula keep our dog’s immune system strong and provide the nutritional value our dogs need. This dog food does not contain wheat or corn. Nor does it contain artificial coloring, flavoring, or any other chemical preservatives.
It has the perfect balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates to keep our golden retrievers at the best of their health.
Golden Retrievers Through The Golden Years
A dog is a man’s best friend. Hence, your dog deserves the best dog food to maintain his healthy body and live a longer life.
Feed your dog the proper diet and balanced meals and you’ll surely see him through his golden years.